IS SOLAR POWER GENERATED ONLY UNDER THE SUN?
It is common knowledge, or maybe not common, that Solar Energy is the energy generated from the radiation of the sun, and solar power is generated through the conversion of solar energy to electrical energy. This electrical energy can be stored in form of DC (direct current) charge in batteries and can be converted to AC (alternating current) using a power inverter. The basic knowledge of solar energy from the sun to generate electricity however leaves a question of what happens when rain falls and there is no sun. In this post, we want to examine how efficient solar panels are during rainy seasons, when there is no visible sunshine.
Rain Droplets on A Solar Panel [Image Source]
This post comes as a result of my observation after the first rainfall in the year that happened in my area Saturday midnight. it was not for long, but I discovered the next morning that my solar panel charged the battery for an increase of about 12% in the middle of the night. Where could that energy have come from?
Effects of Rain on Solar Panels
A solar panel installed on the roof receives and utilizes direct or indirect sunlight, but It is most effective when there is direct sunlight incident on it. On rainy or cloudy days, photovoltaic (PV) panels produce between 10-25% of their optimal capacity. The exact amount however varies with respect to how dark it is or how heavy the rain and cloud coverage is.
It is interesting to note that rainfall helps solar panels to operate more efficiently after the storm, as the water washes away dirt, dust or pollen from the surface of the panel.
Another fact is that usually, visible light is still able to get through rain and clouds. Whenever it rains, the sky is not always completely dark; Infrared light gets through the cloud and rain even more easily. Infrared light cannot be seen directly with the human eyes, but water vapour absorbs it. Infrared pictures show the moisture in the air. You have also probably had an experience of getting sunburn on a cloudy day before. As a matter of fact, sunburns can be more severe on cloudy days. This is a valid evidence that solar panels can work even when it’s cloudy or raining.
Clouds do not actually stop solar Ultraviolet (UV) rays from getting through and power production from photo-voltaic (PV) solar panels still work efficiently in colder temperatures. The optimum temperature for power production is around 43 degrees Fahrenheit (about 6.1 degrees Celsius).
THE GRAPHENE SOLUTION
Due to the mitigating effect that rain drops could have on the efficiency of solar power generation, scientists have developed a solar cell that has an atom-thick Graphene Layer. This graphene layer harvests energy from raindrops, making it useful and efficient to use even on the darkest or gloomiest days. Water sticks to the graphene, creating a sort of natural capacitor. Electricity is produced from the difference in energy between the graphene's electrons and the water's ions.
Graphene is a crystalline allotrope of carbon with 2-dimensional properties. Its carbon atoms are densely packed in a regular atomic-scale chicken wire (hexagonal) pattern. Each atom has four bonds: one σ bond with each of its three neighbors and one π-bond that is oriented out of plane. - Wikipedia
A 3D Rendering Abstract nanotechnology hexagonal geometric form close-up concept of the
Graphene Atomic Structure [Image Source]
Graphene is incredibly light in weight, flexible, much stronger than steel, and yet, capable of conducting electricity better than copper. The potential that this technology presents could not only reduce the costs of going completely off-grid by exclusively converting to solar energy, but as more applications evolve, the number and size of panels being used might be reduced, as well as batteries needed to make the move to self reliance.
By using graphene in combination with existing solar cell technology, scientists are able to separate the positively charged ions that naturally occur in rain water. So far testing with a salt water mixture are showing good results and testing will move to sorting out how to use other positively charged ions to produce electricity even when it storms. - [Off Grid World]
A Graphene Solar Cell. [Image Source]
Raindrops are not pure forms of water. They contain some salts that are composed of positive and negative ions. The positive ions include calcium, sodium, and ammonium ions. These positive ions are able to form bond with the graphene surface. When raindrops come in contact with graphene, the water becomes enriched in positive ions while the graphene becomes saturated with delocalized electrons. The result of this bond is called a pseudocapacitor, a double-layer made of electrons and positively charged ions. The difference in potential associated with this procedure is sufficient enough to produce voltage and current.
CONCLUSION
If you are contemplating adopting solar electricity, the thought of rain discourages you, or your are not just enlightened enough concerning the dynamics of electricity generation through solar energy, this is an assurance that either there is sunshine, storm, rain or what have you, energy can be made available for you. Solar technology is advancing and in the nearest future, there will be more compact and more efficient panels, and maybe even cost effective ones.
If you are a Nigerian and you have not heard of or you are not well elightened about the Lumos Box for Solar power, check out my post HERE. I will respond to your questions as much as I can.
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Amazng post. A friend of mind once told me about Graphene. I wasn't aware of what the use case of it was but thanks for sharing this. I would love to use solar as I believe it has less impact on the environment.
Are there any graphene panels on the market?
Yes. There are. I found some on Alibaba.com, but of course more research is on going to make it more efficient.
Graphene is a great conductor, but it is not too good at collecting the current produced inside the solar cell. Scientists are therefore exploring appropriate ways to modify graphene for this purpose. For example, Graphene Oxide (GO) is less conductive but more transparent and a better charge collector. This can be useful for solar panels.
Few years from now, I see a massive adoption of solar power everywhere. If not for anything, for its clean nature - without pollution. With graphene, we can store energy both under the sun and in the rain. How wonderful!
Thank you for your comment and the compliment.
Nice post! Good to know there a possibilities to gain energy even when raining thanks to graphene. Sonds pretty interesting and I am sure we will see better versions of this in the future
Sure. Better versions of the graphene panel will be rolled out soon. There are countless possibilities in the technological space. So much man has to discover. it is amazing that nature has put all these things in place for us but we have since bee chasing artificial substance. It is good that we are gradually coming to the realization of these things now.
Thanks for stopping by.
It's really an informative and useful post. A lot of knowledge is disseminated with thorough and wonderful research. Good thing about Solar Energy is that its pollution free and becoming a very economical as the technology is progressing. Much appreciated man!
Thanks for your contribution. Solar power is truly amazing. It has little or no maintenance cost, it is renewable, It is clean - has neither air pollution nor noise pollution and it can even be stored for later use. How wonderful.
With the introduction of graphene in the production, It is the beginning of natural power. I have always thought of a way of using electrical energy without all the overhead line flying around town. As researchers come up with economical ways of using solar power, I see everyone dumping the grid system, probably for only industries to use.
best post i like it
Wow this is great. I enjoyed reading this because I gained a lot of knowledge from this as an electrical engineer. Always thought sunlight was the only energy being drawn by the solar panel but I know better now. Nice one bro.
A big shout out to @infovore a wonderful steemit philanthropist .